The Illinois Pork Producers Association (IPPA) is providing pork producers and pork industry representatives an opportunity to provide input and direction on IPPA programs at the IPPA Visioning Session on July 15.

The session, open to all pork producers, will be held at the Northfield Inn & Suites in Springfield, IL.

The program kicks off at 1 p.m. with Steve Meyer, president of Paragon Economics, providing an outlook for pork and grain markets and discussing risk management strategies that producers can use to get through this tough financial period.

Other updates include the IPPA image/education campaign, Operation Impact, as well as the new national effort, Responsible Pork Initiative. Producers will learn about what is being done to help educate consumers about pork production and proactively work in industry issues, such as animal welfare, and how producers can become involved.

The Visioning Session starts at 4 p.m. with the Pork Act Election, which is the election of pork producer delegate candidates for the 2009 National Pork Act annual meeting. A meal will be served at 5 p.m. and the program concludes at 7:30 p.m.

“IPPA is truly a grassroots organization. The Visioning Session will allow producers a chance to discuss suggested changes to IPPA programs and services and provide direction on the development of the 2009 IPPA budget,” says Phil Borgic, IPPA president.

“We realize that the high feed prices are drastically impacting pork producers,” Borgic adds. “Dr. Meyer’s presentation should lend some insight on where we are headed and what producers can do to survive. I hope producers will make plans to attend this important meeting to help prioritize the IPPA’s programs and resources to best meet the needs of Illinois pork producers and address the many issues facing the pork industry.”

The meeting is free of charge to pork producers and industry representatives, but advance registration is required. Contact the IPPA office at (217) 529-3100 or visit www.ilpork.com.